A train company is proposing football-style transfer fees of £50,000 for drivers to prevent them being poached by rival operators.

The move by Connex is aimed at making up for a shortfall of drivers.

The firm is now spending about £10 million training 250 new drivers and wants to protect its investment from other companies who may try to lure them away.

Connex is now asking the Shadow Strategic Rail Authority to consider introducing measures where rival companies would have to pay for the drivers' training costs - an average of £50,000 - before being allowed to offer them jobs.

The firm also proposes that all rail companies should pay into a central fund to pay for driver training.

Driver shortages have become so acute at Connex, which runs services across Sussex, that it may have to cut future timetables unless it can make up the shortfall.

A Connex spokesman said staff poaching was causing the firm great difficulties, especially as working hours were being reduced.

He said: "We regard £50,000 spent on training a driver as a contribution towards the industry and we want the industry and not just Connex to pay for it.

"We are in discussion with the SSRA to see how this could be resolved. We would rather have a fund for contributions by all train companies for the cost of training, which is high."

Connex is competing with Govia to run the South Central franchise. The result is expected this autumn.

A war of words erupted between the two companies earlier this month when Govia accused Connex of "poaching" its staff by sending letters to drivers.

Connex claimed it was approaching ex-employees who had been poached by Govia to begin with.